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Laurie Kidwell Teaches with Worms

At the Kent State University Child Development Center, the preschoolers have worms – red wigglers that live in a blue plastic bin in Room 7.

Depending on the child you ask, the worms are “slimy,” “icky” and “cute.” They eat the scraps from the children’s lunches and squirm around on the floor. They have been prodded and drawn and even flung.

But soon they will provide the compost to fertilize the children’s gardens, helping the pumpkins, beans, corn, squash and sunflowers grow. “We love the worms,” one child says. And in loving the worms, teacher Laurie Kidwell hopes they also learn to love the earth.

   
     
         
               

Seeds of Excitement in Room 7

Wriggle, Wriggle, Giggle, Giggle

  
These cups contain seeds for the childrens' gardens. Ezra's three sisters garden begins in a plastic cup.
     

Children learn about the planting cycle. They plant seeds in tiny cups. Then they draw pictures of what they think their plants will look like. On top of that, they get to learn about the role worms play in keeping earth, and the earth, in a healthy condition. And, they get close up views of the wrigglers.		  
The children's pumpkins grow first in their imaginations then on paper. Logan used to be afraid of worms. Now he loves to play with them.
Copyright 2009. School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kent OH 44242